In recent years, the market growth of the aviation sector has resumed its pre-pandemic trends, and a significant expansion of commercial space operations is being witnessed. The anticipated rise of commercial Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) services at the lower end of the airspace, and of operations above Flight Level 600 and point-to-point high-speed transport at the other end are expected to compound these trends, challenging the viability of conventional Air Traffic Management (ATM) and airspace management paradigms. Concerning space operations, challenges linked to Space Domain Awareness (SDA) and space sustainability have also increased in the recent past, leading to the need of effective Space Traffic Management (STM) architectures supported by appropriate Communications Navigation and Surveillance technologies.
Within this framework, this tutorial discusses the role of digital avionics for air and space vehicles in accommodating the growth of conventional and emerging forms of aerospace operations in a safe, efficient and sustainable manner. The emphasis is placed on existing challenges and on recent development trends. The context of a prospective Multi-Domain Traffic Management (MDTM) framework, which tackles the safety, efficiency and long-term sustainability of the atmospheric and near-Earth environments, will also be presented. The aim is to disseminate recent research outcomes and to identify existing gaps opportunities for industrial innovation in strategic areas, such as future systems for advanced CNS/ATM systems.
